July Days (a short dozen)
i.
hundreds of darning needles
monkey faces shadowed blue
from translucent wings
explode into the afternoon
a crazed horde of
grinning July lust
ii.
the frog sleeps
in the pot of thyme
scent dreaming
he stares
with reproach
as I water
iii.
he pays for
his single beer
with a credit card
payday still
two days away
iv.
wildness
is that joy
inside
that escapes &
threatens the world
v.
a flock
of migrating sparrows
rampage like monkeys
thru the puddles
in the 7-11
parking lot
vi.
birds keep their feathers
in top flight form
my torn jeans
& tee with holes
announce
I’m land bound
vii.
dark blue clouds
cover the sky
like a blanket
birds hunker down
asleep in the blue morning
viii.
books infest the house
promising wonder
they collect dust
piles topple over
thuds in the night
ix.
a huge Cuban frog
leaps to
the kitchen window
& hangs
by velcroed feet
imagining
the wonders inside
x.
my mind burps
these lines as
I do other things
a pencil now lives
behind my ear
xi.
frogs throw out
long tongues
to catch flies
I imagine
your cereal spoon
a silvered tongue
slurping
xii.
we all live really
like wooly caterpillars
within the confines
of a few leaves
on the tree
© Zen Oleary
July 15-16, 2004
